


MerlinWATGame: Team 2

by Eisbaerfussel, foxelot, MerlinWATMod (ViridianJane), Nebula5030, Pelydryn



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Character Death, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Protective Arthur, Protective Gwaine, Summoning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 16:06:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16643435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eisbaerfussel/pseuds/Eisbaerfussel, https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxelot/pseuds/foxelot, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViridianJane/pseuds/MerlinWATMod, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nebula5030/pseuds/Nebula5030, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pelydryn/pseuds/Pelydryn





	MerlinWATGame: Team 2

Title: MerlinWATGame: Team 2  
by foxelot, VerdantMoth, Pelydryn, Nebula5030, Eisbaerfussel, MerlinWATMod  
  
Summary:

Merlin's love spell doesn't go _quite_ as planned, Arthur defends Merlin's honour, and Gwaine loses someone important to him.

  
  
Notes:

Here is Team 2, all done! Well done and congratulations to all participants, I hope you guys enjoyed playing!

Again, a reminder as to how this works: each piece, with the exception of the first, was created based on, and only on, the one before it. This allows for some fun twists and turns by the end of the story!

Just a note from the mod: this team is crazy! Every turn brought about almost a completely different story. It was a lot of fun to watch it grow!

  
  
End Notes:

Thank you for reading!

  
  
Published at: 2018-07-15  
Revised at: 2018-07-15 15:47:59 -0400  
  
Chapter 1: Fic: Pelydryn  
by: Pelydryn, MerlinWATMod  
  


The grimoire had said it was a spell that would summon love into his life. Merlin had never expected it to work quite so literally. He certainly hadn't expected the blond-haired greek god wannabe dripping soapy water all over his workshop floor.  
  
“What the bloody hell!” yelled the new arrival, quickly moving to cover his bits (rather nice ones, Merlin noticed) with his hands. He frowned as he looked around the room—which _was_ rather a mess at the moment. Potions ingredients were scattered over the table, books were everywhere (they'd revolted one day and all marched right off the shelf), and there was a rather messy spot where Merlin had dropped a glass vial filled with a tarry black sludge and not bothered to clean it up. Amidst the shattered glass, white and green fuzz grew all over the sludge. Merlin grimaced. Maybe leaving it in favour of finishing the love spell hadn't been his smartest moment.  
  
Archimedes squawked in surprise from his perch on the window sill and hacked up a pellet. While the man was staring at the owl with a mix of fascination and horror, Merlin noticed that the floor under his bare feet was a scary mix of feathers and poop. Shit.  
  
Drops of water continued to drip from the man's wet hair and track along the lines of his muscles to the floor. It was like a vision straight from one of Merlin's fantasies. Had the spell brought one of his daydreams to life? When the man spotted Merlin standing gormlessly with his jaw dropped to the floor, he yelled some more. “You're not Morgana!” Merlin still didn't move, frozen with shock. The man huffed. “Don't just stand there staring, you idiot! Get me a towel!”  
  
Oh. Of course. The least he could do was show hospitality to his unexpected—though _technically_ not uninvited—guest. Definitely not a daydream: none of Merlin's fantasies would ever speak to him like that!  
  
Still—Merlin maybe couldn't stop staring. “Now!” the man bellowed. His lungs were clearly as well-endowed as his—  
  
The man growled, and Merlin ran for the bathroom. He scooped up every towel in sight—there were four—and rushed to throw them at the man.  
  
“Have you no decency?” the man snarled, and Merlin—with difficulty—averted his eyes. Then, finally, some of his common sense kicked in.  
  
“Clothes! I'll just… go find you some!”  
  
Merlin fled. Potential ramifications of what he had done sprang to mind. Gods, what if the man wanted to press charges for kidnapping? How was Merlin supposed to improve his love life if he was in prison? He had just moved back to Camelot after a lifetime abroad. It would be just his luck to screw up his new life so quickly. If only he had figured out how to make that luck potion. Honestly, though, he would probably have to imbibe a good luck potion before he'd be able to figure out the recipe for one—and how would he manage any of that if he were locked up for the rest of his life?  
  
After digging through his closet, Merlin found some clothing that he thought might fit the new arrival. He returned to his workshop but didn't dare enter. Instead, he threw the clothing in and closed the door. Hopefully the man would think he'd learned common decency, but really, Merlin was just too nervous to face him.  
  
Archimedes hooted angrily at being shut in with the stranger, but Merlin didn't have the guts to rescue him. Besides, that owl was more than capable of protecting himself if necessary.  
  
What in the seven kingdoms had Merlin done? Wasn't that spell supposed to… you know… increase the likelihood that he would fall in love? Not steal the man of Merlin's dreams from the middle of a shower and utterly doom his chances of a happily ever after?  
  
Merlin sank down to the carpet, hands wrapped around his knees, an anxious ball of wizard awaiting his fate.  
  
After a short time, Archimedes started screeching furiously. He flapped his wings so fiercely that Merlin could hear them through the walls. The owl’s racket was quickly joined by human cursing.  
  
The door to the workshop opened, and the man burst out. “Stop it, you bloody bird! Or I'll have you plucked and all your feathers made into quills!” He slammed the door behind him. There was a scratch across his cheek, and the shirt Merlin had loaned him (a Griffinland shirt he'd picked up in Crete) had a large rip in the shoulder. Damn it. He had liked that shirt.  
  
“I think that creature was not pleased that I had the audacity to wear your clothing.”  
  
Or, if that owl was anything like Merlin (and familiars often did resemble their wizards), he just hadn't appreciated losing the nice view.  
  
Seeing the man dressed in Merlin's clothing was still satisfying, though. _Mine_ , a voice whispered in his head. This might be the last Merlin ever saw of him—unless he was brought to trial for attempted kidnapping—and he would cherish the idea that Mr Greek God had once been in Merlin's clothes. They were a little too small and pulled tight against his muscles and— Well, let's just say they left very little to the imagination. Merlin gulped.  
  
The man opened his (rather luscious) mouth to speak. This was it, the moment he would doom Merlin to a lifetime of misery. But instead of announcing his intention to call the police, the man asked, “How did you do that?” He stared down at Merlin, hands on hips.  
  
“Do what?” Merlin asked, confused.  
  
“Summon me, you idiot. That's powerful magic. My sister's been trying for ages with very little success, and she's the most powerful witch in the city. And you did it without us even knowing each other. Morgana swore up and down that it was only possible to summon known people from known locations. So I'll ask again: How did you do that?”  
  
“Aren't— Aren't you going to call the police?” Merlin stammered.  
  
“Why would I do that?”  
  
“Because… Because I kidnapped you? You could have me sent to prison.”  
  
The man laughed. “Honestly…” he paused meaningfully.  
  
“Merlin. My name is Merlin.”  
  
“Arthur,” he said before continuing. “Honestly, MERlin, you don't seem like the sort of person capable of big, nefarious kidnapping plots. It seems much more likely that you are a bumbling, incompetent fool. So, tell me: what the hell did you do?”  
  
Merlin felt his cheeks heat with embarrassment even as his muscles relaxed with relief.  
  
“I… triedanewlovespell.” He rushed through the phrase as fast as possible, hoping Arthur wouldn't question it. Gods, this was mortifying.  
  
Arthur's brow wrinkled as he pieced together what Merlin had said. “You… tried a love spell? But—what does that have to do with me?”  
  
Merlin blushed to the roots of his hair. Could this get any more uncomfortable?  
  
Understanding dawned on Arthur's face. “Ohhhh, don't tell me. Your ‘magic’”—he snorted, and Merlin could hear the air quotes around the word—”thinks I'm the one for you? Ahahaha! Hahahaha!” And he keeled over, laughing hysterically.  
  
All right then. It _could_ get more uncomfortable.  
  
“You don't have to be such a dollophead about it,” Merlin said, pouting. “I'm sorry I interrupted your shower. You can just—go home and we can forget this ever happened.”  
  
Arthur gave Merlin a l _ook_. There were raised eyebrows and everything. Uncle Gaius would have been proud.  
  
“That sounds like an excellent idea, MERlin. How about you wave your magic wand”—and here Merlin blushed _even more_ —”or whatever it is you do, and send me back?”  
  
Well, fiddlesticks. Send him back? How the hell was he supposed to do that?  
  
“You do know how to send me back, right?”  
  
“Errrr… I could drive you? I mean… I probably could. Unless you live over the sea, in which case I could maybe call a dragon…”  
  
A look of understanding flashed on Arthur’s face, quickly followed by exasperated horror. He buried his face in his hands. “For the love of all the gods… Why did I have to be saddled with the most incompetent and idiotic soulmate of all time?”  
  
Merlin jerked his head up to look straight at Arthur. “Wait, what? Soulmate?”  
  
Arthur groaned and sank down onto the carpet across the hall from Merlin. “Morgana always claimed that my soulmate would be the most powerful wizard of our time. Son of a dragonlord. Destined to stand by my side and create a glorious land for all. I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that she meant you.”  
  
“Me?” Merlin squeaked, knowing he sounded even more like an idiot, repeating everything, but he couldn't help it.  
  
“Damn it, we'll have to move you into the palace, get you properly trained up, teach you how to dress correctly…” Arthur wrinkled his nose as he looked at Merlin's tattered “Save the Wyverns” tee. Of course Merlin wasn't looking his best. He'd been hard at work mixing potions. It wasn't his fault that the acidic one had exploded. Okay, fine, so maybe it was. But he was perfectly willing to let acid eat through his clothes if it lead to magical discovery.  
  
Arthur's words slowly percolated into Merlin's consciousness. “Palace?” he asked, the word heavy upon his tongue. “You live in a palace?”  
  
“Where else would you expect a prince to live?”  
  
“Prince?” Merlin's brain felt like it was slogging through a field of mud. “Prince… Arthur? Of Camelot?” Oh gods, he had kidnapped a _prince_?  
  
Arthur reached out and batted him gently across the top of his head. “I’m pretty confident we're still in Camelot, idiot. Did you really not recognise me?”  
  
No, Merlin had _not_ recognised him. He’d never had time to read gossip magazines or do anything so trivial as watch the news, always too busy tinkering in his workshop. And Merlin had spent most his childhood overseas, travelling with his parents through Dragonlords Without Borders. They would visit the various dragon colonies and mediate between the magical creatures and their respective governments. It was an important job. Without the occasional presence of a dragonlord, humans tended to get toasted and dragons skewered. (Guns wouldn't penetrate a dragon's scales, but a well-placed blade to the heart did wonders.)  
  
Merlin had just recently returned to Camelot to live on his own for the first time, thinking it might be a calmer environment for magical study. He was starting to second-guess that already.  
  
“Well, we'd better get going. We're still in the city, yeah? I'll have to ring my driver and have him send a car for us.”  
  
“For us? No! I need to work on my experimental good luck potion and do my laundry! I don't have time to go traipsing off—ow!”  
  
Arthur stood and lifted Merlin by the scruff of his neck. Merlin flailed and protested, but there was no way to escape the prat without using magic. And he figured that kidnapping the heir to throne with magic was pressing his luck enough for one day. If only he had mastered that luck potion…  
  
Merlin twisted around so that the two of them stood nose to nose, staring each other down in the hall. Archimedes’ hoots of irritation in the workroom were the only sound.  
  
Finally Arthur broke the standoff. “You are going to be so much work,” he groaned.  
  
“And you are such a prat,” Merlin replied. But even as he said it, he noticed that Arthur's arm was still wrapped around Merlin's neck. Merlin really, really, _really_ didn't mind.  
  
“At least you're adorable, thank the gods.”  
  
Then Arthur leaned in and pressed his lips to Merlin's. An electric spark of desire pulsed through him, and he returned the kiss eagerly.  
  
Without warning, the door to the workshop popped open and the hallway was filled with a hurricane of swirling feathers and slashing claws.  
  
“Archimedes!” Merlin yelled. “That's enough!” The owl screeched rudely but flew off to the kitchen, undoubtedly ready to root through Merlin's rubbish bin to look for a snack. This was not allowed, but at the moment Merlin had more important things to worry about.  
  
“I don't think that bird likes me,” Arthur said, grinning. “I can assure you the feeling is mutual.”  
  
“He's a very astute bird,” Merlin laughed. “Probably just sees you for the prat you are.”  
  
Arthur batted playfully at Merlin's shoulder. “But I really do need to ring the palace before they declare a national emergency.”  
  
Merlin pulled out his mobile from his jeans pocket and passed it to Arthur. “You're… not going to tell them I kidnapped you… right? It was an accident, I swear—”  
  
Arthur rolled his eyes as he began dialling. “No, MERlin. It would be rather hard to marry you if you were hanging by your adorable ears in the dungeons for the rest of your life.”  
  
There were several threats in that sentence, and it was hard to decide which was the scariest. “M-marry— Marry me? But I don't even know you!”  
  
Merlin's heart was a strange mess, beating much too rapidly, half in excitement, half in terror. Arthur spoke into the mobile a moment before asking Merlin, “Where the hell am I?” Merlin supplied the address of his flat, which was only a few miles from the palace.  
  
After hanging up, Arthur pressed the mobile back into Merlin’s pocket. It was highly intimate, and the excitement running loose through Merlin's body fizzed up all over again. It made it difficult to concentrate on all the reasons why running off to marry a complete stranger—who also happened to be the gods-damned heir to the throne—was a terrible idea, dubious claims of soulmate status not withstanding.  
  
“I can't marry you!” Merlin blurted out.  
  
“Well, you certainly can't looking like that,” Arthur said amiably. “Like I said, you are going to be _so much work_.”  
  
“But— But—” Merlin spluttered. “Hold on one pixie-loving minute. You can't just go around popping into unsuspecting people’s homes and making them marry you! Even if you are the prince! Which I've still seen no proof of, I might add.”  
  
Arthur laughed. “I would like to remind you that it was _your_ love spell that got us into this mess. Well, that, and your abysmal housekeeping skills. And of course I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want. Though that demon bird of yours is never going to sleep in our bedroom, you understand?”  
  
“But—”  
  
Arthur smiled that crooked smile of his, and Merlin had the sudden urge to donate Archimedes to the zoo, familiar or not.  
  
“When you've known Morgana as long as I have, you'll learn that her visions are never wrong, whether I like them or not. You’ll see. Now if you'll excuse me, my ride is here.”  
  
Arthur reached out his hand and touched his fingertips to Merlin's lips. Then he was out the door. “I'll send a car for you tomorrow,” he called as he left.  
  
The nerve!  
  
Archimedes fluttered back to perch on Merlin's shoulder, tomato sauce and bits of onion peel stuck to the feathers on his head. He dug his talons into Merlin's flesh with rather more force than was necessary and hooted mournfully.  
  
“I know, Arch, I know. He's a prat. At least he's gorgeous?”  
  
The owl hooted, even more irate.  
  
“You're right, of course. But there's something about him…” Merlin rubbed his fingers along his lips where the prat had kissed him. It could be worse. He would give Arthur a chance… but first he was going to clean his house. If this whole destined soulmates thing didn't pan out, Merlin would be ready for the next time an unexpected (hopefully gorgeous and naked) visitor dropped in. And—gods willing—he'd have his good luck potion perfected by then.

  
  
Chapter 2: Art: Eisbaerfussel  
by: Eisbaerfussel, MerlinWATMod  
  


  
  
Chapter 3: Fic: VerdantMoth  
by: VerdantMoth, MerlinWATMod  
  


The thing is, Arthur knows he is being ridiculous. He is well aware of this, and he is under no illusions as to what kind of person he is. He knows Merlin is absolutely capable of defending himself, of defending his own honour. He is _magic_ for fuck’s sake. He could probably take on Arthur at any time of day, in any situation. 

It just so happens that, Gwaine has a reputation. A reputation that involved flirting and walks of shames and broken hearts and weeping coeds. What kind of brother would Arthur be if he didn’t at least try to help Merlin out? Merlin, who had a tendency to pick up stray friends and adopt less than desirable buddies? Merlin, who saw the best in _everyone_ despite the _painfully_ obvious indicators otherwise.

  
Arthur can feel himself working into a frenzy, so he goes back to glaring at Gwaine’s back. Who had the audacity to invite him to _Camelot’s Corner._ Which had been Merlin and Arthur's coffee shop for as long as Arthur could remember. Their own special little hide away after classes, unknown by most of the student body. 

Now find himself having no choice but to share it and his daily hour with Merlin, with freaking Gwaine. He isn’t sure what exactly causes him to look up at that exact moment, but he does so just in time to see Gwaine blow a kiss at the, admittedly hot and beefy barista, and wink. That just simply wouldn't do.

Arthur shoves him from the back. “You can’t date my brother, and then flirt with the attractive coffee makers!” 

Percival, the barista looks up startled at the outburst, and sends a shy smile at Arthur, but Gwaine doesn’t even turn towards him as he slides a few bills across the counter. “I wink at everyone, Pendragon.” Making a point to blow another kiss at the barista, who in turn stared apologetically at Arthur

Arthur throws as much disdain into his voice as possible. “Oh, I’m well aware of your problem with fidelity.” He sees Merlin start to turn, squeezing Gwaine’s hand.

Merlin heaves a sigh and says “Oh Arthur, honestly. Listen-” but he’s cut off by his brother.

“No, you listen! I tried to be good and stay out of your business but really? Shacking up with him? You’ve got to take better care of yourself!”

Gwaine snorts and behind the counter Percival begins to look a little nervous. “Oh I think he is very well capable of taking care of himself.” He leers at Arthur for good measure, which only further incenses Arthur.

“Don’t talk about my brother that way.”

Gwaine shrugs. “What way?”

“Like he is…” Arthur hesitates and chews his words for a moment. “Like he’s, he’s some strumpet!”

Gwaine looks at him in shock and Percival coughs behind them. “Are you serious Pendragon? That’s what you’re going to with? And for what, enjoying a little alone time with himself?”

This time it’s Merlin who coughs and Percival looks at them. “Maybe you guys want to take this outside, yeah?”

Merlin tugs at Gwaine’s hand and says “C’mon pet. Let’s just go. I don’t need coffee this bad.”

Gwaine shakes him off. “Or are you worried I’m gonna rub off on him? Ruin his saintly image?”

Arthur sneers. “Well you certainly don’t _help_ his reputation.”

There’s a gasp somewhere from behind them and then Merlin is trying to shove his way between them. “Arthur!”

Gwaine pushes past Merlin, trying to free his hand. Arthur looks smug as he speaks. “Well it’s true. People on campus are already taking bets on this little fling between you two.”

Gwaine snarls, while Merlin looks at his brother in horror.

Arthur has the decency to look sheepish as he delivers the next blow. “They’re giving it another month before Gwaine fucks you and decides he’d rather not be tied down by someone like you, Merls.”

This time Gwaine lunges at Arthur and he manages to get a hold of his dragon crest shirt, _Arthur’s favorite._ There’s a brief tussle and then they all hear the tell-tall ripping of fabric and Gwaine is letting out a banshee scream as he tries to pin Arthur to the floor. Percival comes running out from behind the counter, looking alarmed at the sight before him.

Arthur snarls at Gwaine and then swings, swift and hard, and there’s a sickening crunch of bone. Gwaine swears and cups a hand to his nose. Merlin manages to get in between them again and he raises his hands, sending his brother and his lover flying in opposite directions. His eyes glow gold and the door opens, and Merlin ushers them out with a wave of his hands.

Gwaine lets himself be guides, but Arthur struggles against the invisible curse. “Arthur you complete ass. You listen and listen well. I am _perfectly_ capable of handling my own reputation. I, and this may surprise you, but I am also completely aware of Gwaine’s flirtatious nature. It’s actually a small part of his charm. A charm which i've grown to dearly like and I’m even well aware of how that might affect his reputation and mine. However, I also know that that is a completely unfounded and undeserved bit of slander perpetuated by uniformed assumers such as yourself! Also you wouldn't pay heed to any of this information if you, yourself were getting laid!”

Arthur squawks at him. “You can’t possibly know this! Nor can you assume that i haven't been getting laid.”

Merlin flicks his wrist so that the magic silences Arthur. “Yes I can, to both of those things firstly because Arty, we share an apartment you think I havent noticed the serious lack of visitors” at this Arthur just stared steadfastly ahead “and secondly because I talked to Gwaine and got to know him. Know him intimately, I found out personal things about him.”

At this point he looks at Gwaine, who just nods. Merlin mutters a spell that Arthur recognizes as the one used to keep conversations quiet. “So believe me when I say I know Gwaine is actually a virgin, Arty. He doesn't have sex with anyone at anytime, and doesn’t really have plans to change that.”

Merlin throws an apologetic glance at Gwaine. “Sorry to out you like that, Pet.”

Gwaine shrugs and wipes a hand under his nose. His voice comes out a little heavy when he says, “It’s okay love. He’d have found out eventually.”

Arthur blinks at them both in confusion. They can see the cogs in his head turning and then he whispers, “Oh.” He blinks, and then louder, “Oh! He’s like you!”

Merlin gives an exasperated sigh and sits by his brother, head buried in his hands. “Oh, my god, Arty.”

Gwaine starts laughing beside them. “Oh Princess. You should see your face. It’s like you’re almost disappointed that I won’t be defiling your brother.”

Arthur rolls his eyes. “Shut up.” Gwaine just grins back. Arthur studies him a long time and then he timidly asks, “So you haven’t fucked half the student body?”

Gwaine shakes his head, wincing as his nose begins to bleed again. “Haven’t even met most of ‘em.”

“But you let the rumours propagate?”

Gwaine wipes the blood on his sleeve. “Well, yeah.” He stands and offers a hand to Merlin, who lets himself be pulled up. “Nah, Never bothered me much. I figure anyone worthwhile would just ask, or get to know me.”

Arthur blushes and looks away bashfully. “Oh.”

Gwaine shrugs. “No worries. I’m glad you care so much for Merlin and so do I. I care for him a lot more than people think and I promise I won’t hurt him. I care for him a lot more than I let on.”

Merlin throws looks between the two of them and makes a disgruntled noise. “Oi. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, you great brutes.”

Gwaine pecks him on the cheek but otherwise ignores him as he offers a hand to Arthur. “Hush love, the men are talking.”

Arthur accepts it and lets himself be pulled up. Gwaine says “I promise, though, that if I _ever_ hurt him or break his heart, you get the first two shots at my face.”

Arthur grips the hand he’s still holding tight. “Deal.”

“Oh and Arthur” Merlin said looking back at Arthur. You should really ask Percival out. He has talked to me about you and it might help stop you being so obsessive whenever I get a boyfriend.”

Arthur stared dumbfounded for a second, before attempting to form a coherent sentence but before he could Merlin cut him off “Don’t argue.”

  
  
Chapter 4: Art: Jo  
by: MerlinWATMod  
  
Notes:

Art by [Jo](http://jampaintsphotos.tumblr.com/search/my+art)!

  
  


  
  
Chapter 5: Fic: Foxelot  
by: foxelot, MerlinWATMod  
  
Notes:

Warnings for the chapter: Implied character death/suicide.

  
  


The lights are too bright, a blinding contrast to the grief, pain, sadness, anger swirling in Gwaine’s stomach. The rest of the world should be as dark as he feels. It’s the only thing that feels appropriate. It takes all of his remaining strength to refrain from taking his fist to every light within his reach and plunging the room around him into darkness, to stop himself from knocking the smiles off the faces of the people around him getting good news. There is no good left in his world 

As he walks, Gwaine’s knees threaten to give up on him, but he fights against the shaking. He has to reach him, has to reach Merlin. He has to get answers to the questions swirling in his mind at a rate too quick to keep up with.

The room numbers blur as he walks, and Gwaine isn’t sure if it’s from the tears building in his eyes or if his body is trying to give up on him. It’s probably a mixture of both. The heavy, pulling weight in his chest wants to pull him down, have him sink to the ground where he stands. It doesn’t want him to have his answers. It wants to be able to deny it all, because if he never confirms it, it didn’t happen.

Gwaine nearly gives into the pull, nearly just sits where he’s standing to collect himself enough to carry on, but a few rapid blinks clear his vision enough to see and he spots a familiar mop of blond hair. The ache in his chest, the weight threaten to stop him right then and there, turns into a burning fire, now propelling him forward. Before he can even register what’s happening, Gwaine has a fistful of Arthur’s shirt clenched in his hand and he’s hauling the blond to his feet. “You were supposed to be watching him!” Gwaine snarls as he shoves Arthur against the nearest wall, words a little more choked than he’d have liked.

For as rapidly as the assault came, Arthur’s reactive punch is just as quick, sending Gwaine reeling back. However, it doesn’t deter him for very long and his fist soon finds Arthur’s shirt again. There is a warm trickle of blood down Gwaine’s face from his aching nose, but it’s nothing compared to the fire spreading through the rest of his body. “You were supposed to be watching him!” he spits again. “So what the _fuck_ happened?”

A part of him fully expects to be hit again, the logical side of his brain knowing Arthur is in just as bad shape as he is, but the anger pulsing through his veins in stronger and it wants answers. He expects another punch, so to feel a hand on his wrist instead douses the fire just enough for Gwaine to really see Arthur beyond the haze of red. He sees the splotches left from crying around blue eyes, the deep frown that threatens to never leave again. He sees the guilt that has taken root in a way Gwaine knows is nearly impossible to get rid of. “What happened, Arthur?” he demands one more time, but this time it’s softer.

Arthur’s gaze meets Gwaine’s for all of half a second before the blond is looking to the side, breaking any chance of eye contact. “I thought I’d gotten everything. I thought the house was safe,” he speaks softly, voice breaking every few words. “I thought ‘it’s only for a minute, he’ll be fine for a minute’. I was wrong.”

The sight before him of Arthur so defeated is enough to get Gwaine to loosen his hold on Arthur’s shirt and take a step back. His knees shake where he stands. “You were wrong,” he agrees. “And Merlin is the one that paid for it.” Because while Arthur would feel guilty for a long time, Gwaine understands guilt enough to know that eventually it will soften itself and fade into the background.

“Don’t you think I know that?” Arthur’s words have no heat behind them, only exhaustion, pain, guilt. The blond slowly slides down the wall, filling the space between the two of them with his knees and forcing Gwaine to look down.

“I know you do. And we both know you’ll live with it for the rest of your life, but you _will_ live, because that’s who you are as a person.” This time it’s Gwaine’s turn to slide down to the floor as well, and he does so that he’s sat beside Arthur. A hand finally reaches to swipe away the blood on his face. The anger gives way to the grief and pure exhaustion, and Gwaine’s vision blurs again. He doesn’t want to forgive Arthur, doesn’t think he ever can, but he also doesn’t want to fight anymore. Right now he just wants to hurt and cry and long for crinkled blue eyes and laughter that he’ll never see or hear again. 

  
  
Chapter 6: Art: Nebula  
by: Nebula5030, MerlinWATMod  
  


  
  
Chapter 7: Team 2  
by: MerlinWATMod  
  


Again a big thank you to all of the participants of Team 2!

1\. [Pelydryn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pelydryn/pseuds/Pelydryn)

2\. [Eisbaerfussel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eisbaerfussel)

3\. [VerdantMoth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VerdantMoth/pseuds/VerdantMoth)

4\. [Jo](http://jampaintsphotos.tumblr.com/)

5\. [Foxelot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxelot/works?fandom_id=232768)

6\. [Nebula5030](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nebula5030)

Thank you for reading, and please keep an eye out for more MerlinWATGame teams!

  
MerlinWATGame Team 2.txt  
Displaying MerlinWATGame Team 2.txt.


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